Gallatin farmer sentenced in insurance fraud case
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect a correction. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City posted the court's judgment in the Steve A. McBee case that showed a jail sentence of 41 months. The court later posted an amended judgment setting the sentence at 24 months.
GALLATIN, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Reality star and farmer Steve A. McBee was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $4 million in restitution Thursday, according to media outlets.
McBee, 53, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to fraudulent activity from 2018 to 2020 that caused an economic loss to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
McBee previously agreed to pay about $3.2 million in a money judgment that represents his gain from the fraud. The court also imposed two years of supervised release once the prison sentence is complete.
Additionally, authorities ordered McBee to surrender on Dec. 1, 2025, and the court recommended McBee serve his prison sentence at a federal prison in Yankton, South Dakota.
McBee and the McBee Family Farms also defaulted on a $1.3 million loan with Rabo Agrifinance LLC, according to a judgment filed on Aug. 13, 2025, in the Daviess County Circuit Court.
U.S. Attorneys also filed a notice and bill of particulars for the forfeiture of property with the court on Aug. 29, requiring McBee to forfeit three wrist watches.
The reality star of "The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys", which was recently renewed for its third season and is streaming on Peacock, runs their family farm with his sons, Steve Jr., Cole, Jesse and Brayden.
It was revealed during season two of the show that the farm was about $70 million in debt.
The family also owns several carwash sites throughout the state of Missouri.
